Monthly Archives: June 2012

Jun 28 2012

Jo Crawford: Make Your Muse Comfortable

Jo Crawford is an artist, teacher and intuitive reader based in Berkeley, California.  Through her business, Crafting the Sacred, she works with women to access their intuitive wisdom and express their creativity.

 “Nurture your creativity by producing a lot. Expect the first hour to be about clearing house — see it as tidying up before a visitor arrives. You do a bit of vacuuming and dusting before you invite a guest. Fill up your internal space so your muse is very comfortable upon arrival.” ~Jo Crawford

Listen to Jo’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Jo was born and raised in South Africa where she had her first art training in drawing, painting and fiber art in her teens.  She pursued a degree in Industrial Sociology and Adult Education at the University of Cape Town and spent several years of working in the non-profit sector. Jo relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 90s where she worked as a paralegal for the next decade.

In 2007, she took a leap of faith to leave her full-time office job and focus on her creative and spiritual path. Jo cashed out her 401(K) and embraced a year of self-discovery where she studied massage, herbs and tarot more deeply, went on spiritual retreats, meditated, slept late, made art, traveled home to South Africa, spent time with her loved ones, and delved into personal growth work.

It was during this time that Jo birthed her business, Crafting the Sacred, and recommitted to her creative passions of visual journaling, fiber and mixed media arts. She is currently working on the themes of Art as a Sacred Expression; Home and Belonging; and Fertility and Birth.

Jo says, “I have a lot of ideas. I keep notebooks of all my brilliant ideas —and they all feel brilliant at 2 am. Deciding which ideas to pursue comes down to questions like: What are my resources? How much time do I have? What do I have in front of me? What can I create right now? That will determine what urgency I have. Sometimes something keeps bugging me and it’s not really a choice then. I have to be the conduit to make it happen.”

She goes on to say, “Our creative force is a Divine force. We are creative beings and have to get it out. It doesn’t matter what your medium is, it doesn’t matter how well it’s executed or whether you ever show it to anyone else. It’s important to allow yourself the breathing room to get that beauty inside of you out.”

Find out more about Jo at www.CraftingtheSacred.com. Download her e-book, Follow Your Heart, and other freebies.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Jun 25 2012

Kevis Antonio: I’m Constantly Praying

Kevis Antonio, writer/producer/director of Five Blocks Away, passionately promotes the independent film project at the Eucharistic Congress held June 9, 2012 in Atlanta, GA.
Photo by: Debbie Fitzgerald

Writer, director and producer Kevis Antonio has worked on numerous films and is founder of Rising Faith Productions. His documentary, Bread of Life, received rave reviews, was officially selected into the John Paul II International Film Festival and was syndicated on an international TV network. Kevis’ current movie project, Five Blocks Away, is his first feature film.

“I am constantly praying. I get to use my talents and my skills with my faith. I love the opportunity to strengthen my faith and to really trust God.” ~Kevis Antonio

Listen to Kevis’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

A member of St. Catherine of Siena Church, Kevis serves on the leadership team of Siena Pictures. Kevis’ twin passions are film and faith, and through his work in the film industry, he is able to combine the two for the benefit of those who wish to learn more about the word and will of God.

Kevis comments about balancing a full-time job, newborn twins and the activities necessary for this feature film project, “The grace of God gets me through each day. It’s definitely very demanding with everything that I have to do. I put it into perspective and prioritize — first God, then my family and then work.”

He continues, “It’s a big challenge, but everything is in God’s hands. He works His magic and miracles and we keep going forward.”

Kevis and his wife Stacy reside in Acworth with their newly born twin boys.

Find out more about Kevis and the feature film project Five Blocks Away at  www.fiveblocksawaymovie.com. Like the film page on Facebook for updates on the project. Check out the article about this project in the Marietta Daily Journal.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Jun 7 2012

Lisa Black: Everything Radiates from Within

Lisa Black has entrepreneur blood flowing through her veins and is the Founder of Fields of Gold Farm and Greenhouse.

“I know everything radiates from within me. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the environment around me — as long as I stay crystal clear, I feel strong and empowered. My main focus is keeping my radiance where it needs to be and my frequency high so these beautiful things can come in when they’re needed.” ~Lisa Black

Listen to Lisa’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

After graduating college with degrees in Nuclear Medicine and Business/Marketing from Bowman-Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest, NC and USC-Columbia, SC, Lisa took off to explore the fields of conventional health and wellness along with starting her own business in Marketing, Advertising, Graphic Design and Public Relations in both Griffin and Atlanta, GA. Her dual passions of health and marketing led her on a wonderful journey.  While working in the Atlanta area, she gleaned from a wide variety of interests including fitness, nutrition, agriculture, alternative health therapies, networking, food, conferences, seminars, and body-mind energetics.

After almost 20 years in the marketing world, Lisa returned to the family farm in Hendersonville, NC to ‘cultivate’ a new project, Fields of Gold Farm and Greenhouse.  All of life’s roads have culminated to birth this latest project — making great health through incredible food, a major priority.  Through this passion-filled ‘God Project’, Lisa has found heaven on earth unfolding the symphony that nature offers in bringing nutritious superfood from farm to table.

Lisa says, “It’s an artist’s palette to have the creative juices flowing and roll out a project with the depth and breadth of Fields of Gold. When I came back to the family farm in 2004, I received this inspiration of possibilities. I kept hearing a voice saying ‘feed my people, feed my people, feed my people.’ That really guided me down the path. It’s certainly not just me — I’ve had a lot of guidance and support from all different angles.”

About detours and roadblocks, Lisa says, “Everything is a blessing. If we can look at those bumps in the road with different eyes and listen to the stories surrounding them with different ears, all of a sudden you’ll get the inspiration as to why that fell into place to either strengthen you or get you back on the right path.”

Find out more about Lisa and Fields of Gold at www.fieldsofgoldfarm.com.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.